Monologue 21. A weather forecast

And here’s the weather for some popular destinations in Western Europe for the next twenty-four hours.

A) Let’s begin in the north. I’m afraid spring isn’t here yet! Another major frontal system will move in from the Atlantic affecting Northern Ireland and Scotland, before moving on to Scandinavia. It’s going to bring plenty of rain, which could fall as snow on Scottish mountains. So it will feel very chilly everywhere. Temperatures around five or six degrees at best in the rain but much lower in snowy areas, where they will stay around freezing all day, you’ll be lucky to see two degrees.

B) Moving south now, into England and Wales, most of northern France, and across through Belgium and Holland. Things look more springlike here and it will be a lot brighter than in recent weeks. Along Channel coasts especially, there may be a little rain at first, with temperatures reaching only eight degrees. Inland, however, there will be more sunshine than showers, with all areas becoming warmer and drier as the day goes on. Towards the end of the day temperatures could be as high as fifteen degrees in these regions. The winds will be light, coming from the south but it will feel very pleasant.

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Monologue 22. The Stonecutter

Once upon a time there was a stone cutter. The stone cutter lived in a land where a life of privilege meant being powerful. Looking at his life he decided that he was unsatisfied with the way things were and so he set out to become the most powerful thing in the land.

Looking around his land he wondered to himself what is it to be powerful. Looking up he saw the Sun shining down on all the land. "The Sun must be the most powerful thing that there is, for it shines down on all things, and all things grow from it's touch." So he became the Sun.

Days later, as he shone his power down on the inhabitants of the land, there came a cloud which passed beneath him obstructing his brilliance. Frustrated he realized that the Sun was not the most powerful thing in the land, if a simple cloud could interrupt his greatness. So he became a cloud, in fact, he became the most powerful storm that the world had ever seen.

And so he blew his rain and lightning, and resounded with thunder all over the land, demonstrating that he was the most powerful. Until one day he came across a boulder.

Down and down he poured and his thunder roared, lightning flashed and filled the sky, striking the ground near the boulder. His winds blew and blew and blew, and yet, despite all his efforts, he could not budge the boulder.

Frustrated again, he realized that the storm was not the most powerful thing in the land, rather it must be the boulder. So he became the boulder.

For days he sat, unmovable, and impassive, demonstrating his power, until one day, a stone cutter came and chiseled him to bits.

23. Seven o’clock news

Here is the seven o’clock news. First, the news headlines.

• Thieves break in at the Royal Gallery

• Ship goes down at sea near the Sussex coast

• Three men break out of Brixton prison

• Plane comes down in jungle

• Chemical factory blows up

• Severe weather cuts off towns in the north

• Damaged plane touches down safely

Now here is the news in detail.

• Thieves break in at the Royal Gallery

Last night thieves broke into the Royal Gallery and got away with paintings worth over a quarter of a million pounds. The break-in happened around 11.00 o’clock in the evening but was not discovered until the early hours of the morning. At present it is not known how the thieves got into the building though a security guard is helping the police with their enquiries.

• Ship goes down at sea near the Sussex coast

A ship has gone down at the sea off the south coast of England following an explosion in its engine room. The ship was carrying a cargo of wood and was heading for Liverpool. The fire spread rapidly and was soon out of control. However, all the crew were picked up safely by the rescue services.

• Three men break out of Brixton prison

Three men broke out of Brixton prison this morning. They overpowered a prison officer and escaped by climbing over the wall. They were seen making off in a red car that was waiting for them outside the prison. One of the men was later picked up by the police but the other two men are still on the run. Police have warned the public not to approach these men as they may be armed and dangerous.

• Plane comes down in jungle

A plane with two English passengers on board has come down in dense jungle in Brazil. It seems that one of the engines cut out while the plane was heading for Rio de Janeiro and the pilot was forced to make a crash landing in the jungle. A rescue team is now searching for survivors.